We are residents of Northeast Portland who have all worked in homeless advocacy or other progressive causes. But we are motivated to speak out about a growing problem following the attempted murder of Portland father Kasey Lebechuck, who was stabbed 17 times after confronting a homeless person trying to set up a tent camp in his neighborhood.

The opioid epidemic and over-tolerant city policing policies have enabled a whole new population of grifters and predators to insinuate themselves amongst Portland’s homeless. They prowl our streets and neighborhoods, break into our homes and cars, assault us on the streets, lurk in our backyards, prey upon anyone they can, defecate on the sidewalks, shoot up on the street or in Starbucks bathrooms and harass local businesses and their customers.

These criminals are not the innocent homeless families or veterans trapped by economic circumstance or mental illness, with whom we all empathize. They are what social workers call “service resistant.” That means even if free housing and services were offered, they would choose to live on the streets and prey on people, including those who live in homeless camps. They are dangerous, and will do whatever they need to do to feed their drug habits or their criminal lifestyle.

It’s time for the Portland’s leaders to step up and protect both the homed and the homeless, and get these predators out of our neighborhoods and into jails where they belong.

How bad have things gotten? The postings on the online community network Nextdoor spotlight the daily threats we face:

“I had a guy threaten to kill me while waving a machete,” reported someone at the children’s playground in Laurelhurst Park, once considered “the most beautiful park” on the West Coast.

“My daughter and her teenage friend were chased by a guy on SE Water Street after their dance class,” recounted another. “They don’t go there anymore.”

“My neighbor’s house on 35th and Hancock was just broken into,” wrote someone else. “A person on some kind of substance crashed thru their glass door, but was thwarted by the occupants.”

As one frustrated citizen put it, “We have no right to feel safe in our homes anymore. I have moved three times because [my neighborhood] was overrun with homeless.”

This rampant criminality has sparked a profound shift in public opinion in the last year. People have begun to realize that this new population of predatory homeless is very different from the innocent homeless — and that defending ourselves from the former does not mean attacking the latter. If anything, it means uniting with innocent homeless families to protect us all from such criminals.

The police do the best they can, but they are constrained by inadequate budgets to police these so-called “quality of life” crimes. Even when police make arrests for narcotic use, breaking and entering, defecating in the street, aggressive panhandling, burglary or car theft, the perpetrators are often quickly back on the street.

The irony is that it is precisely these “livability crimes” that erode the economic vitality and stability of neighborhoods and foster more violent criminal activity. This fact led New York City in the 1990s to adopt a “broken windows” policing policy that aggressively enforced “livability” crimes and transformed the city from a cesspool of crime into the infinitely more livable place that it is today.

But things are getting worse here in Portland. As Mayor Ted Wheeler conceded, there has been “a 97 percent increase in stolen vehicle calls, 64 percent increase in unwanted persons calls and a 32 percent increase in disorder calls.”

Yet despite this, our city has fewer police officers than it did a decade ago. The number of officers assigned to the Neighborhood Response Team responsible for livability issues has gone from 16 in 2013 to four today.

This must change. Portland residents demand that the city hire more police and bolster their Neighborhood Response Teams; aggressively enforce and prosecute “livability” crimes; remove all tent encampments from residential neighborhoods; enforce loitering-free safe zones around local businesses; and increase funding for both homeless services and neighborhood safety.

If the city fails to act, people (and the city’s tax base) will start moving out of the city. Each of us already knows neighbors who are thinking of moving out of Portland to escape the worsening filth and crime festering in our neighborhoods.

Portlanders rightly take pride in their acceptance of all lifestyles. But predatory criminal behavior is not an “alternative lifestyle.” It’s a cancer on the city and a threat to us all, and it’s time for the city to do something about it.

The trash is a byproduct of plain carelessness and Portland’s homeless crisis.

Author: Nina Mehlhaf

Published: 4:45 PM PDT June 20, 2018

Updated: 7:43 AM PDT June 27, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore.– Portland’s Hollywood neighborhood is equally as fed up with the city as it is with the crime and trash some homeless folks are leaving behind.

Businesses and volunteers have taken things into their own hands, forming litter patrol groups, and they say it’s working.

Trash is a sign of a bigger problem according to Jessica Murray, who is a resident of Northeast Portland’s Hollywood area.

“I want people to know what’s going on, so more people will want to clean up,” Murray said as she wore her bright orange work vest and walked the sidewalks carrying a bucket and litter grabber Wednesday.

She’d never met her litter picker-up counterpart Lonnie Houston until Thursday. “I’m new in town and this is a good place to meet people,” said Houston.

The two women are part of the Hollywood Boosters Clean and Safe team.

“I live here and I see the trash,” said Murray. “Everyone always says, ‘Oh there’s trash all the time,’ and we just decided that instead of talking about it, we’d do something about it. So we started messaging about it on NextDoor and formed a group.”

The trash is a byproduct of plain carelessness. But also Portland’s homeless crisis. Hollywood has it’s share of tents and panhandlers just like the rest of the city. With it come trash, feces and drugs.

We found an entire folded up cardboard “drug packet” next to the sidewalk on Northeast Sandy and Halsey. Inside were used needles, matches, and rubber tubing to tighten a vein and shoot up. It was things like this that were scaring away customers of The Mountain Shop.

Owner Dave Pietka says they’ve been broken into five times by the same homeless man, who was charged with stealing $70,000 worth of merchandise and allegedly selling it for drugs. Pietka says the man has been arrested multiple times, but gets out of jail quickly due to overcrowding and comes back to the same area.

“We have great compassion and empathy for the lady who’s been displaced because of abuse and the economy or who are mentally ill. We want those people taken care of,” Pietka said. “We think our government needs to do a far better job of that. But the ‘incorrigibles,’ something really needs to be done about them because they truly are making it a mess.”

The Hollywood Boosters wrote an opinion piece about it in the Oregonian this week, that’s been shared almost 5,000 times. They feel they can’t rely on the city, so their litter patrol is a presence that’s been deterring crime. And it could work in other neighborhoods.

“It has made our lives a little bit easier to have Clean and Safe, we need more of it,” Pietka said.
“Maybe they’ll see us picking up their trash and maybe they won’t dump it, hope springs eternal,” laughs Murray.

The shop has been in “soft” opening status for a few weeks and a grand opening celebration is planned for December 6, in tandem with a new antique store opening across the mall, just west of the Postal Station.

“I ran a restaurant and a bed and breakfast – the Pinehurst Inn and the White Pine Restaurant – in the mountains near Ashland,” said Krizo, who was born and raised in Sweden and Finland.

“When we moved to Portland, we changed the business into a food manufacturing business called White Pine Products. We made granola, candied nuts and vanilla extract. Owning two businesses has taught me everything I need to know about running a successful business and I wanted to do something different. Nothing stuck until a couple of years ago when my mom sent me Swedish candy for Christmas. I thought how fantastic it would be to go to a store and buy Nordic candy, just as I did when I was growing up in Sweden.”

Krizo did some research and discovered that Nordic bulk candy is hugely popular anywhere a store opens up.

“I knew there were a few stores in larger metropolises like L.A. and New York, but none in Oregon,” said Krizo. “Nordic candy is free from GMOs and corn syrup and tastes like candy should – indulgent with a lingering aftertaste of sweetness that satisfies. The idea of offering more than just candy comes from my love for everything Nordic. As a native Swede, Finn and Sami, I wanted to showcase the beauty of Nordic design.”

During the holiday season, Nordic Home is filled with Nordic Christmas items, including ornaments, holiday chocolates and specialty candies from all the Scandinaviancountries, in addition to a carefully curated selection of gift items.

“I believe I’m the only Nordic store in Portland, which makes my store really special,” said Krizo. “Although the candy section will remain pretty much the same, the idea is to always have something new according to the seasons. I’m also happy to receive suggestions or special orders if there is something people want to buy that isn’t in the store.”

“One of the most exciting aspects of the Nordic Home is the ever-changing inventory,” said Krizo. “An item doesn’t have to be made in Scandinavia to fit in a Nordic home. As long as a design adheres to the principles of minimalism it will find its place, as Nordic design is all about functionality combined with aesthetically pleasing lines. I know the Hollywood District has a sizable Scandinavian population. I really love all the businesses in the 42nd Street Station. We have a real family feel here.”

The Nordic Home is open Monday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information, call 503-752 9812 or visit www.thenordichomestore.com.

In October, Hollywood neighbors, Chris and Jessica Wade will celebrate the one-year anniversary of The Wiggle Room, a 2000-square-foot indoor play space and cafe at 1925 N.E. 42nd Ave. in the Hollywood Mall.

“One year ago, The Wiggle Room opened its doors and welcomed kids and parents alike to come play,” said Chris Wade. “Split about evenly between a play area and a cafe, we have a 16- by 20-foot play structure, a fine motor play room – with a rotating array of toys and puzzles – and a separated area for infants with padded climbing blocks and age appropriate toys.”

Normally the Wiggle Room hosts birthday parties on weekend afternoons, but on October 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the Wiggle Room will thank their customers and welcome all families to help celebrate their first year anniversary.

“The parking lot in the back behind Velo Cult will be cordoned off and will host a bouncy house and tent,” said Chris Wade. “All families are welcome. There will be prizes and giveaways, and free play for all current 10x pass holders.”

Our Neighborhood Stars feature is designed to shine a little light on the people you see every day, working, living and playing in our Northeast and North Portland neighborhoods. If you’d like to be a neighborhood Star, or know someone who would, you can request a survey by emailing ofni.swen-rats@snikrepdet.

Motto/Inspirational quote: “Life has a way of rewarding you for being the person you know yourself to be. So keep being you, and keep smiling, even if others frown on the process.” “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.”

Stories you’d like to see in the Star: Neighborhood cleanups, volunteer work, etc.

Proudest professional moment: I take pride in helping staff, volunteers and interns grow professionally. I believe it is just as important to help someone learn what job they shouldn’t be doing as it is to help them understand what direction they should go in.

First job: Two at the same time. I made engraved name tags for Harry Merlo’s meetings at Louisiana Pacific, and I worked for Bill Naito as an assembler at Norcrest China. Bill made us show him our high school grades each quarter to keep our jobs. Very impactful jobs for me.

Favorite thing about neighborhood: Running into people I’ve known since grade school, beautiful trees and awesome small businesses.

Fun fact: I love that people can find me through my mom, who still has the same phone number since before I was born.

Favorite spot on a Saturday night: On my couch in my PJs or at Bridge City Taproom.

Ash Mitchell
Manager at Kenton Cycle Repair

Proudest professional moment: This isn’t necessarily a moment, but I really love being a woman in the bicycle industry. We’re the minority in this field, and I appreciate contributing to the growing diversity – and I’m reminded of that every time someone comes in and says, ‘It’s so nice nice to see women wrenching!’ I feel like I’m doing something I love which is also meaningful, and approachable to other individuals.

Favorite thing about neighborhood: Kenton feels like a small town! Everyone knows each other. I grew up 40 miles west of Portland in the country. Kenton feels like home!

Fun fact: I have a rescue Border Collie/Aussie Shepherd named Josie. She has her own fan base in Kenton now – and all the neighborhood dogs know to come to the bike shop for treats.

Favorite spot on a Saturday night: Parkside Café

Favorite movie: “Touch the Sound”

Music of choice: Anything electronic – or Nina Simone.

Favorite place to eat: Ukiyoe

Favorite neighborhood businesses: Parkside, and pretty much every place in the Kenton area.

Motto/Inspirational quote: “Live without limits.” – Nick Vujicic

Stories you’d like to see in the Star: I love memoirs and history. I’d love to see stories from people in the community, and pictures and history from the Pacific Northwest – The good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

Chris Lazarus
Freelance marketing and media relations consultant

Works: St Johns.Lives: St Johns – mostly because it’s such a walkable community.Plays: St Johns, but I love all of the greater Portland area, especially the eastside. Normandale is my favorite dog park to hang out with my pooch, Millie.

Proudest professional moment: Many years ago I created – and self-financed – a mail order business selling ethnic arts and crafts from around the world, donating 10 percent of revenues to wildlife and animal protection nonprofits. Yes, I still have inventory.

First job: Water safety instructor and lifeguard when I was in high school.

Favorite thing about neighborhood: The sense of community, the walkability of everything in St. Johns, the gorgeous bridge and the parks.

Fun fact: I love social dancing. I used to take ballroom, latin and swing lessons at Arthur Murray on Northeast Broadway – and in NYC where I am from – but now my knees won’t let me. Deepwater aqua-aerobics at Matt Dishman is almost as much fun.

Favorite spot on a Saturday night: Ah, used to be dancing in any of several venues around Portland. But now – well, I’m trying to figure it out! Suggestions anyone?

Favorite movie: Any movie with dancing – and happy endings! Probably “Mad Hot Ballroom” is the very best – a true story of poor kids in NYC who were taught to dance and competed with kids from rich schools.

Music of choice: KMHD jazz, especially – from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays – the Bom Dia show with Krishna, or Brazilian jazz. Bossa nova is my all-time favorite genre. Also cool jazz and classical on all-classical FM.

Favorite place to eat: Any Indian restaurant – Namaste, The Sudra, the new Open Tandoor and Bollywood are all favorites on the eastside. I’ve been a vegetarian for 30 years and am close to being vegan. I also enjoy Middle Eastern and Thai, with many choices, including Drunken Noodle on Lombard and Ya Hala on Stark.

Favorite neighborhood businesses: In the Hollywood area I love Portland Shoe Repair. They have helped make my shoes and boots more comfortable and last longer for a very reasonable price. Copy Pilot on Lombard and Minuteman Press on Glisan have done wonderful jobs printing up posters and programs for concerts that the Finlandia Foundation sponsors. Nectar Cafe and Blossoming Lotus are great vegan places to eat.

Motto/Inspirational quote: “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

Heroes: Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.

Stories you’d like to see in the Star: Volunteer opportunities and stories about people and organizations doing good, important work – anything that helps builds community. We need this now more than ever.

Did you know that you can use your credit, debit or SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) EBT card at the market? We piloted our Token Program in 2005 (one of the first markets in the state to do so) and now it’s a key component to our market! Simply drop by the information booth (at the corner of 44th Ave and Hancock St.) to use your credit, debit or EBT card.

Credit/Debit Purchases

Customers using their credit or debit card will receive wooden tokens in $5 denominations. These orange $5 tokens never expire and are accepted by all vendors at the Hollywood Farmers Market and Lloyd Farmers Market. There are no limitations on purchases made with the orange $5 tokens and vendors will give you change in cash if you do not spend the full amount of the token. We apply a $2 surcharge which supports the cost of the token program.

SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamp) Purchases

Customers using their EBT card (known as Oregon Trail in Oregon and Basic Food in Washington) will receive tokens in $1 denominations. Just like any other SNAP EBT dollars, these green $1 tokens may only be used to purchase vegetables, fruit, poultry, seafood, meat, breads, dairy products and plants or seeds for growing food. The green $1 tokens may NOT be used to purchase hot ready-to-eat foods, alcohol, or non-food items. Change cannot be made, so we suggest that SNAP customers shop the market with some loose change to use with their SNAP tokens.

Double Up Food Bucks

Every market day, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) customers can use their card at the market to withdraw tokens to spend on fresh local food. We will match, dollar-to-dollar up to $10, those funds to help increase the purchasing power of SNAP recipients and reward healthy eating. SNAP customers can Double Up their money at over 50 farmers market across the state! See the Double Up Food Bucks Oregon website for more information.

WIC and Senior Coupons

Customers participating in the Farm Direct Nutrition Program may use their WIC or Senior Farm Direction Nutrition Program checks at the Hollywood Farmers Market between June 1st and October 31st. Please look for the “Oregon Farm Direct Nutrition Checks Welcome Here!” sign in each eligible vendor’s booth. All vendors at Hollywood Farmers Market that sell fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs will accept these checks. Check out the Farm Direct Nutrition Program website for more information.

Thirty years ago, Alex Roach began working as a lifeguard at the Northeast Family YMCA. When the NECC took over the facility and opened in 2005, Alex stayed on as a lifeguard, swim instructor and aquatics fitness instructor.
(NECC)

By Northeast Community Center staff

On a recent snowy morning, while most people were still snug in bed, Alex Roach strapped her Yaktrax spikes onto her boots, donned a reflective vest and flashing bike light, and stepped into the wintery weather to make the 4.5 mile trek to the Northeast Community Center.

This daily journey began well before dawn for Alex – she left at 3:00 a.m., planning to arrive at the NECC by 5:00 a.m. During December, January and even into February, as Portland was reeling from the ongoing storms that closed many businesses, made driving hazardous and delayed TriMet schedules, Alex arrived at the NECC by 5:00 a.m. every weekday – and on Saturday mornings too.

You might conclude that Alex is so dedicated to her fitness routine that she cannot bear to miss a morning workout. Instead, Alex is NECC’s morning lifeguard and deep-water workout instructor and her dedication and commitment is actually to the NECC members and other early morning swimmers who cannot bear to miss their own early morning workout or swim, regardless of the weather.

Such dedication is extraordinary, but those who know Alex are not surprised. Alex has a remarkable work ethic, a long history with aquatics programs and an appreciation for the sense of community at the Northeast Community Center. Alex got her start in aquatics instruction when she was just 12 years old, stepping in as an assistant teacher for the synchronized swimming class at the Southeast YMCA. Thirty years ago, Alex began working as a lifeguard at the Northeast Family YMCA. When the NECC took over the facility and opened in 2005, Alex stayed on as a lifeguard, swim instructor and aquatics fitness instructor.

“I just like the people,” Alex explains, as the reason she has stayed all these years:

This 30-year connection with swimmers from northeast neighborhoods has given Alex a unique perspective on activity and aging. Alex notes that “the faces have changed over the years, and the way people think about fitness has also changed.”

She has observed first-hand that older adults have become more active as a group, and the camaraderie in adult aquatics classes encourages and supports active older adults in maintaining a regular fitness routine and promoting an active lifestyle.

The intergenerational aspect of the NECC is also important to Alex, and she continues to teach youth swim lessons throughout the year.

So how does Alex get to work when there isn’t a “snowpocalypse?”

She most often rides her bike, but sometimes takes TriMet or occasionally drives. But regardless of the weather, Alex goes above and beyond to serve those who use the Northeast Community Center to support their health and well-being. She is uniquely dedicated to her community.

Ray Fife, 69, died June 25 in his Portland home. He is survived by his wife of 25 years Linda Anderson; daughter Emily Elizabeth Fife, New York City; brother and sister-inlaw Ronald and Diane Fife, Seattle; sister Susan Sadler, Olympia; sister-in-law Renee Fife, Seattle; several nieces and nephews; and Olive, his black pug. Preceding him in death were his parents Donald and Marion (Gibbard) Fife, his brother Douglas Fife, and pugs Maggie, Wymondham and Scoozi.

Ray grew up in Pullman and graduated in 1964 from Pullman High School, where he was football quarterback, basketball point guard, baseball pitcher and served as president of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from University of Puget Sound in 1968, and traveled the United States and Europe with the Adelphian choir. He was delighted when his daughter became a member of the UPS class of 2002. Ray also earned a master’s degree from the Claremont School of Theology in 1971. He moved to Vancouver in 1971 to serve as a Methodist minister. Ray joined Clark Public Utilities in 1973 and retired 30 years later as employee communications and training manager. He also will be remembered for coordinating and producing several employee appreciation events. Ray also owned a picture framing business, Hollywood Frames, in his home. Ray demonstrated a keen interest in people, from casual acquaintances to close friends. His pastimes included music, golf, politics, travel, cooking and genealogy. That interest in genealogy led to a trip in recent years to visit the Scotland town where his great grandfather had lived. Ray loved to shoot and edit home movies, from hand stitching Super 8 film to using iMovie on his computer, and he was always the family documentarian. He loved watching professional sports and was a loyal Trail Blazer fan. Ray also was an accomplished guitar player, and he loved playing and singing the blues. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at 2:30 p.m. at St. Michaels and All Angels Church, 1704 NE 43rd Ave., Portland. In lieu of flowers, Ray’s family suggests remembrances to the American Heart Association, Oregon Food Bank or Providence Portland Medical Foundation Hospice fund.